Bow-Tie Eggplant Pasta

by Angie McGowan on August 21, 2012

I love cooking with squash and eggplants in the summer. My local farmer’s market has a great selection of different squash and eggplants. This week I found a beautiful bright “neon” eggplant. It has gorgeous bright color, and tastes just as good as it looks. Since it tastes so good, I wanted to make a dish to really showcase it’s flavor. I sauteed it with a little onion, garlic, and a pint of those sun gold cherry tomatoes. After they were cooked, I gave them a spin in m y food processor with a big handful of fresh basil and some Parmesan cheese. For even more flavor, I added some pine nuts and crushed red pepper.

You could certainly use a regular eggplant, and regular cherry tomatoes in this dish, and it will be just as good. For the pasta, I used Barilla Plus Farfalle pasta. It’s a super healthy, and delicious, multigrain pasta that is full of protein and Omega-3.

Here’s a little more about Barilla Plus Pasta:

A Good Source of Protein: Barilla Plus provides 10 grams of high quality protein per 56g (1/2 cup uncooked/1 cup cooked). Not all proteins are alike when it comes to quality. A high quality protein food means that it contains essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein that only come from specific foods. The high quality protein in Barilla Plus comes from ingredients such as chickpeas, lentils and egg whites. It surpasses traditional pasta in terms of protein quality and more importantly, Barilla Plus provides protein without introducing high levels of saturated fats and cholesterol found in other protein.

A Good Source of ALA Omega-3 Fatty Acids: The American Heart Association recommends eating foods containing omega-3 fatty acids, at least once a week. Because our bodies don’t naturally produce ALA omega-3 fatty acids, they must be consumed in the diet. Flaxseeds, used in Barilla PLUS, are a plant source of ALA (alpha linolenic acid), an essential omega-3 fatty acid. Barilla PLUS contains 200 mg of ALA per 56 g serving, which is 15 percent of the recommended intake (1.3 g/d).

A Good Source of Fiber: The American Dietetic Association recommends eating 20-30 grams of fiber each day to help prevent heart disease. Barilla PLUS offers a good source of fiber through its naturally fiber-rich ingredients. The unique multigrain blend found in Barilla PLUS – semolina (coarse durum wheat), oats, spelt and barley – delivers most of its fiber and complex carbohydrates. The fiber composition is further enhanced by the addition of legumes, ground flaxseeds and oat fiber, all sources of soluble and insoluble fiber.

MustGO Pasta: Start with onions, garlic, and olive oil… sautee…. to build the base, saute a little anchovie paste and deglaze with some soy sauce Look in fridge and see what veges need to be eaten… if raw… add to the sautee.. if cooked… wait till last. Deglaze again with some wine. Add raw pasta (fuscilli is my fav) , a can of chicken broth, and however much tomato juice it takes to barely cover the pasta. Cook until pasta is cooked. Add any cooked veges to heat through. Add a big handful of parmesean…. serve.

My favorite pasta dish is marinara made from fresh tomatoes and from my garden or farmers market over angel hair. And by the way, I only use Barilla Pkus unless I need a specific shape for a recipe. I wish it came in more shapes.

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Welcome to ECLECTIC EVERYDAY, my personal blog where I share favorite recipes from my kitchen. My name is Angie and I’m so glad you’ve stopped by my little corner of the web. I absolutely love spending time in the kitchen cooking, baking and developing recipes for family and friends. READ MORE

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